“What do you want to be when you get older?” This was a question that most kids hear time after time after time. My answer was always “a mom”. When I was young, I loved to play house, mom and dad, etc. As I grew older, I continued to have a passion for children and watching them learn and grow (which is probably a huge reason I chose the career that I did). I babysat when I got a little bit older and even took on a nanny job one summer. There was never a doubt in my mind that I would be a mom some day. My goal was always to raise children and love them in the same way my mom did. I had the absolute best model I could have asked for.
For those of you who know my mom, you can attest that she is one of the kindest and most loving people you will ever meet. She is selfless and always puts others before herself. She is a woman of faith and continues to work hard to instill solid values within each of her five children. I can only pray that I am half the woman she is some day. Not only was she a great mother, but she is the best grandma our children could ask for. She spoils and loves her grandchildren (all 13 of them) all while establishing boundaries and making sure she is also teaching them how to love others and how to live a life pleasing to God.
Kendrick 
Charlie
On November 21, 2014, it became my turn. My prayer was answered and God brought a little boy, Kendrick, into this world who made me a mom. People talk about the undeniable, instantaneous love that a mother has for their children the second they come into this world. I was able to experience and understand what this talk was all about. I became a mom of 2 on June 11, 2018 when little miss Charlie was brought into this world. Some people don’t know the story of our little miracle baby, but I will save that for another day. Even after having one, it was like starting all over again. It had been so long since we had a baby and it seemed as though I had forgotten all the milestones and when I was supposed to be doing what. I have relied a lot on the advice of the women in my family :). Thank God for them.
If I said motherhood was a breeze, that would be a lie. There are days I feel like a complete failure. There are moments where I feel frustrated and raise my voice at my kids. The mom guilt then kicks in pretty heavily. There are times when I fail to take Kendrick’s backpack or water bottle to school with him (this happens often) or allow my daughter to drink her bottle in the car because I can’t seem to get everybody out the door when I need to. At times I feel like I am pulled in so many different directions that I can’t keep up. Although there are days like these, there are also those days that I feel like a total rockstar mom! Like when everybody IS ready and out the door on time (or before), when I am rested and I have an abundance of patience with my children, or when Kendrick gets invited to birthday parties and I remember to buy birthday gifts BEFORE the day of the party (that was me this week :)! Whoop Whoop! The little things need celebrated too! As mothers, we all have our good and bad days, just like everybody else. If you are like me, you won’t always have everything together, and that’s OK! I have to remind myself of this often. We are human and we all fall short sometimes but that doesn’t mean we are not good mothers. If I can give any advice, it’s to take time to see all the good things you do for your children and your family and allow yourself a little grace when things don’t go according to plan. Take time this week to appreciate your mothers and appreciate yourself!
HAPPY MOTHERS DAY to all of you amazing mothers out there!
